Kamal Hasan: ‘will contest 2019 polls; may also tie up with like minded parties’

Actor-turned-politician, Kamal Haasan has declared that his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, will be contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Today, at a presser he said that his party’s campaign would focus on Tamil Nadu’s development and that they are open to alliances with like-minded parties. However, he added, it was too soon to say if they would lead the alliance or be part of another one.

Kamal Hassan said, “I would fight elections. A committee would soon start choosing candidates.” Hassan also added that he ally with any party that ‘tries to change Tamil Nadu’s DNA’.

Kamal Haasan had launched its party — Makkal Needhi Maiam or MNM — which translates to ‘People’s Justice Centre’ — in February this year. Since quite some time, the actor-cum-politician has been sharply critical of the AIADMK government, and has had frequent run-ins with state ministers on the issue of corruption and came out strongly against the government for its handling of the anti-Sterlite protests. Mr Haasan had also said that ‘my colour is not saffron’, earlier this year.

On his 64th birthday last month, Haasan had announced that his party was ready for by-elections to the 20 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, whenever they are held.

Notably, Kamal Haasan’s venture into politics came after another Tamil cinema icon, Rajinikanth, spoke of plans to form his own party. Apparently, both have been looking to fill the leadership vacuum in the state after the death of AIADMK matriarch J Jayalalithaa in December 2016 and M Karunanidhi in August this year.